Droughts are long term shortages of natural water. Day to day rainfall do not play into this tally.
This spring and summer have been abnormally dry. In the greater Framingham area, we have officially slipped from abnormally dry into drought.
On any given month in Boston (at Logan Airport) receives 3-4″ of rain a month. 0.75-1″ a week is what we expect in the summer. Our closest NWS weather station is in Milford and it shows our defects. July kicked our drought into overdrive. August thus far, at the Milford station is showing 0.93″ of rainfall.
As a general rule, any month that sees fewer than 3 inches of rain, will result in an expansion or intensification of Drought Conditions.
In April, there was no shortage of rain. By the end of May, dry conditions had been expanding out of state, and by June, Massachusetts was affected. By mid-July, there was officially a drought in parts of the state. Presently 82% of the state is experiencing drought conditions.
Click to enlarge the images below to see the progression of this drought from spring to present.
What does this mean? Not much, unless you have a lawn, gardens, or trees under your care. It can be reversed with a few solid days of rain. It bears watching.
In drought years…in our metrowest region:
- Grass may turn yellow and die
- Water use may be restricted
- Crops may die
- Food & Meat costs may increase
- Mosquito and EEE threats may decrease
- Gypsy Moths may make a resurgence in following years
In areas listed in D0 (abnormally dry), the following can be expected:
| Crop growth is stunted; planting is delayed |
| Fire danger is elevated; spring fire season starts early |
| Lawns brown early; gardens begin to wilt |
| Surface water levels decline |
In Framingham, we are currently listed in a D1 / moderate drought. We can expect the following in addition to the effects above:
| Irrigation use increases; hay and grain yields are lower than normal |
| Honey production declines |
| Wildfires and ground fires increase |
| Trees and landscaping are stressed; fish are stressed |
| Voluntary water conservation is requested; reservoir and lake levels are below normal capacity |
If we progress to D2 (severe drought) we can expect the following in addition to the effects above:
| Specialty crops are impacted in both yield and fruit size |
| Producers begin feeding cattle; hay prices are high |
| Warnings are issued on outdoor burns; air quality is poor |
| Golf courses conserve water |
| Trees are brittle and susceptible to insects |
| Fish kills occur; wildlife move to farms for food |
| Water quality is poor; groundwater is declining; irrigation ponds are dry; outdoor water restrictions are implemented |
If we progress to D3 (extreme drought) we can expect the following in addition to the effects above:
| Crop loss is widespread; Christmas tree farms are stressed; dairy farmers are struggling financially |
| Well drillers and bulk water haulers see increased business |
| Water recreation and hunting are modified; wildlife disease outbreak is observed |
| Extremely reduced flow to ceased flow of water is observed; river temperatures are warm; wells are running dry; people are digging more and deeper wells |
If we progress to D4 (exceptional drought) we don’t know what would happen as Massachusetts has little to no experience this level of drought since droughts began to be monitored in 2000.
After the summer of 2016, the region was in D3, extreme drought. In the short term there were brush fires… everywhere, Boston to Springfield, and everywhere in between.
The effects were lasting. The fungus that kills gypsy moths was mostly killed off. Following years experienced extreme defoliation due to gypsy moths. Our lawns turned to dust and probably required repair.
We are not there yet. But it does bear watching.
